The present invention relates to a structure for fixing a steering-gear housing to a vehicle-body member.
JP-A 1-244965 discloses a structure for fixing a steering-gear housing to a vehicle-body member by using a pair of brackets or two circumferentially divided portions of a bracket unit. With a resilient body held between the inner periphery of the brackets and the outer periphery of the steering-gear housing in the compressed state, the brackets are previously integrated together by welding or the like to form a bracket unit. The bracket unit is temporarily fixed to the steering-gear housing, then mounted to a vehicle-body member by two securing bolts. However, such fixing structure needs complicated assembling work such that two brackets are previously integrated together by welding or the like, which is then mounted to a vehicle-body member by securing bolts.
Then, in order to achieve simplified assembling work, in place of carrying out previous integration by welding or the like, two brackets can be integrated together by two securing bolt, and mounted to a vehicle-body member. JP-A 2001-171530 discloses a structure for fixing a steering-gear housing, which comprises two securing bolts for securing two brackets at circumferential ends, wherein one of the bolts serves as an auxiliary securing bolt for securing the two brackets only, and another serves as a main securing bolt for securing the two brackets and a vehicle-body member together, wherein the steering-gear housing is supported through an engaged portion of the brackets provided by the main securing bolt, providing so-called cantilever support.
With the structure disclosed in JP-A 2001-171530, if only the auxiliary securing bolt can previously be engaged to temporarily fix the brackets to the steering-gear housing, only engagement of the main securing bolt is needed during assembling of the brackets to the vehicle-body member, resulting in remarkably simplified assembling work. After completing assembling, a resilient body is held in the fully compressed state to ensure stable holding and fixing of the steering-gear housing. Thus, with only the auxiliary securing bolt engaged, the brackets are separated from each other at sites with main bolt holes for receiving the main securing bolts by, principally, a resiliency of the resilient body, resulting in difficult insertion of the main securing bolt into the main bolt holes of the brackets, and thus difficult engaging work of the main securing bolt.
When simply decreasing the length of the main bolt holes, insertion of the main securing bolt into the main bolt holes can be made easily, but the strength of the brackets at engaged portions for main securing bolt is difficult to secure. With the fixing structure of cantilever support ensured only by the engaged portions provided by the main securing bolt, particularly, it is important to secure the strength of the engaged portions of the brackets. On the other hand, when simply increasing the length of the main bolt holes, the strength of the engaged portions of the brackets can be enhanced, but inserting and engaging work of the main securing bolt becomes difficult.
With the structure disclosed in JP-A 2001-171530, since a collar is previously press fitted into the main bolt holes, separation of the sites of the brackets as described above cannot occur. However, the use of a collar leads to not only an increase in the number of parts, but also a necessity of press-fitting work.